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Pirate Captain sets out on a mission to defeat his rivals Black Bellamy and Cutlass Liz for the Pirate of the year Award. The quest takes Captain and his crew from the shores of Blood Island to the foggy streets of Victorian London. Full summary » | Full synopsis »

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Anachronisms: After the Pirate Captain falls asleep in Darwin's house, Number Two is seen flicking a light switch. Electric light wasn't even demonstrated in London until 1848, eleven years after the film is set.See more »

We haven't seen a full length clay animated Aardman film in a while.
Their recent full length films are CGI. They are not bad though but we
kind of miss seeing their stop-motion animation in the big screen with
characters showing off their teeth and some visible fingerprints on the
models. After six years, their traditional animation returns to cinema
by this movie, The Pirates! Band of Misfits. There isn't much of a
change. It's not as brilliant as their other films but the delight and
excitement are still there.

Happily, the studio still has its greatness. Sadly, there are no
"Easter Eggs" from their other films as they usually do. It doesn't
quite matter though. At least they recaptured the fun and it has a big
heart. The story is just simple but it's quite a ride. The connections
with the history is silly but also kind of hilarious. Its ludicrousness
already makes a good joke. The voice acting is predictably good. Hugh
Grant gives The Pirate Captain a delightful personality. Martin Freeman
is just wonderful as his backup. Russell Tovey and David Tennant also
lightens the adventure. Imelda Staunton makes a threatening villain in
this movie.

Their stop motion animation is always magnificent. They can give these
clay models a wonderful personality by their looks and facial
expressions. It also has the trademark character design with them
showing off their teeth. We know that these are just clay and some
other stuff, but even if they are small, it still can make a big and
marvelous adventure. Everything is crazy and fun. The jokes are clever.
There's hardly anything new about the film but it's still good.

It's just great to see another stop-motion clay animated film from
Aardman in the big screen, but this time it's in 3D. The 3D is pretty
good, but even in 2D the film is still wonderful to watch. These kinds
of family films are rare these days. While kids these days like movies
with talking animals and some other mediocre stuff, this one uses the
ludicrous elements in a smart way. Like I said, it's not new but it's
still an exciting and enjoyable film.

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